NAR and CREA Sideline MLS Innovator
Legal demand letters from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and National Association of Realtors (NAR) citing trademark infringement of the word Realtor against RealtorsMate.com deals serious blow to startups momentum and real estate technology innovators.
(PRWEB) May 31, 2005 -- On May 9th Real Estate web innovator Richard Embro-Pantalony sent out a press release offering opinions of the current state of the Real Estate industry and its political infighting. He also announced his unique online alternative to the current MLS system formerly known as www.realtorsmate.com.
Within days he received a demand letter from the Canadian Real Estate Association citing trademark infringement of the word Realtor. We consulted our lawyer and were advised that they were over reaching and proposed a solution we felt would settle the issue. Within two hours of making this proposal to CREA we were notified by the NAR of the same infringement in the U.S.
Since we just debuted our website this is a serious blow to our ability to service our intended market and the momentum that we are losing is costly. When huge trade organizations such as the NAR and CREA choose to make an example of the little guy it both frustrates and motivates a person."
Realtorsmate.com was the trade name of a business devoted to real estate agents and consumers offering a full service of marketing tools absolutely free of charge. A full public listing search capability and an IDX --VOW capacity for members who desired a non political alternative to the MLS with extensive Internet marketing included.
We considered our options and offered to make some changes that would allow us to continue with our name and remove the use of the word realtor from our proprietary content. As well we would post a disclaimer stating we had no affiliation with either real estate association. This wasnt good enough for them and they also dismissed any idea of endorsing us to their members as a viable solution for those agents who want to utilize IDX and VOW marketing online while remaining members in good standing with their respective associations. Remember were not charging agents for this service." said Embro-Pantalony, It all seems very coincidental to me and compromise apparently isnt an option."
30 seconds in a search engine returns literally millions of alleged infringements online and they target us? We are not in a position to punch above our weight just now so we decided to invest our resources in the business rather than challenging these behemoths. Its frustrating but thats business. Its rarely a level playing field. The support weve received is encouraging though and indicates to us were on the right track"
In the end because of an eagerness to get back online realtorsmate.com complied by bringing down their website and is in the process of making revisions. We expect to be back online in several weeks under a new name with a new look with the same incredible services. We are also resolute in our determination to revolutionize an antiquated real estate system so keep an eye on us!"
Contact:
Richard Embro-Pantalony
1-866-524-7488
r.embro@rogers.com
RealtorsMate.com
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